When 10-year-old Isabel first visited Dr. Mark Hyman, she had a severe case of an autoimmune disease considered to be a mixed connective tissue disease or MCTD. Her diagnosis included rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Her condition came along with several debilitating side effects, and her disease was considered incurable.

Isabel’s disease affected every part of her body. Her blood vessels, red and white blood cells, her liver and muscles, even her skin. Her skin was constantly inflamed, and she suffered from swollen joints and a swollen face. When Isabel visited Dr. Hyman, she was on steroids, aspirin and acid blockers. He explained that she was chronically “tired and miserable.”

The medications weren’t helping Isabel. Her former doctors recommend that she take a chemotherapy drug daily in order to suppress the activity of her immune system. While the drug could help reduce symptoms, it also adds a risk of cancer and even death from infection.

For Isabel, that wasn’t an option. So she went to Dr. Hyman. Less than a year later, she was free of symptoms, her blood tests were normal and she wasn’t taking a single medication.

A Natural Healing Approach

While many of Isabel’s former doctors concentrated on how to cover her symptom’s with drugs, Dr. Hyman took a different approach. Instead, he worked to find the underlying causes of her condition. He found that the inflammation she was experiencing could be better controlled by a few simple tweaks in her diet.

Dr. Hyman told Isabel to avoid gluten, dairy and sugar, and to take a few supplements to help the body heal itself. These included a multivitamin, Vitamins D and B12, folate and fish oil. He also recommended an anti-inflammatory evening primrose oil, an anti-fungal, a probiotic and a mercury chelating agent.

Not too long after, Isabel was healthy once again. Dr. Hyman and Isabel decided to share their story to show others how successful their approach to natural healing was in this case. In the video below, Isabel explains, “I can ride my horse again, I’m off all these stupid medications, and… I feel great!

Autoimmune Diseases

It’s estimated that autoimmune diseases effect about 50 million Americans. They come in different forms, including celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia and type 1 diabetes. The number one symptom that all of these diseases have in common is inflammation. Many doctors prescribe immunosuppressant drugs, pain medications, and anti-inflammatory drugs for patients who suffer from an autoimmune disease.

Dr. Hyman writes, “Medicine today approaches most disease by suppressing, covering over, blocking or otherwise interfering with the body’s biology. We generally do not attempt to seriously address the underlying problems that lead to the disease in the first place.” By removing gluten, dairy and sugar from Isabel’s diet, Dr. Hyman was able to reduce her inflammation. The extra vitamins and supplements gave her body a natural push to get on track to healing.